Running a Business from Home

 What is a home based business?ased business means a business that is run from a residential premises where the owner of the business lives.Some examples include hairdressing, personal training, beauty services, food business, or consultants and tradespeople with a home office.A home based business means a business that is run from a residential premises where the owner of the business lives.

Some examples include hairdressing, personal training, beauty services, food business, or consultants and tradespeople with a home office.
 

To run a business from your home, you must meet all requirements of Clause 52.11 - Home Based Business of the Greater Dandenong Planning Scheme.

For example, you may need a Planning Permit if:

• You plan to have more than two people working who don’t live in the home.
• You need a floor area larger than 100 square metres, or one-third of the net floor area of the dwelling, to operate your business.
• You use more than one commercial vehicle.
• Your business activities may impact the neighbourhood (e.g. noise, traffic, emissions).

Check the full list of requirements that must be met for a home-based business in Clause 52.11 of the Greater Dandenong Planning Scheme: 52.11 Home Based Business Greater Dandenong Planning Scheme - Ordinance.

If your business does not meet all the requirements, you will need to apply for a Planning Permit before you start operating.

You must seek written planning advice from Council before proceeding (a fee applies). Applying for written planning advice provides formal guidance on your proposal and confirms whether a planning permit is required.

Visit the Request Written Planning Advice or Information webpage to read more information.

You will need a Building permit if:

• You want to do any renovations that include:
  o    structural works, including removing or altering parts of the building that support its structure (ie. load-bearing elements)
  o    increase or decrease in floor area
• You want to build a new structure for your business
• You want to build a walk-in cool room for your business.

A Building permit and an Occupancy Permit is required for a change of use of the existing building if:

• More than 10% of the total floor area of the existing dwelling/house is used for your business, and/or
• Any part of any other building (such as a carport, garage, shed, bungalow, studio, workshop, etc.) is used for your business.

You may need a Building Permit if you want to do minor renovations and alterations. You should always check before you begin any works.

Council does not issue building permits. You will need to engage a private building surveyor to help you with your building permit requirements.

Don’t forget to check if a Planning Permit is needed. If you do need a Planning permit, you must get that first, before you can apply for a Building Permit.
 

If you want to prepare, handle and/or store food for sale from home, your business will require a Food Act registration. This includes food for retail and online sales, and for sale at local markets.

No matter where or how often a food business operates, or how big or small it is, everyone must follow the rules of the Food Act 1984.

To learn more about what can be involved when starting a food business, watch an animated YouTube video from the Victorian Department of Health Animation about how to start a food business: Home-based kitchen

For more information

Register a Food Business

Temporary and Mobile Food Operators - Itinerant Trading

Public Health registration is required for all health and beauty businesses that undertake services such as:

• Hairdressing
• Beauty treatments, make-up, spray tanning, waxing, manicure, pedicure
• Skin penetration (such as acupuncture, ear piercing, body piercing, needling, micro-blading, feathering, electrolysis)T
• Tattooing
• Colonic irrigation

For more information visit webpage Register a Personal Care and Body Art Premises or Prescribed Accommodation Premises.

Public Health registration is required for accommodation-related services like rooming houses / share houses, hostels, and bed and breakfast.

You may also require a Planning and/or a Building Permit.

For more information visit webpage Register a Personal Care and Body Art Premises or Prescribed Accommodation Premises.

You may need one or more permits depending on the type, location and size of the proposed sign.

Planning Permit requirements

A small sign is allowed for your home business, but it must meet the following requirements:

• There must be only one (1) sign
• The maximum area allowed for the sign is 0.2 square metres (eg. 400mm x 500mm)
• The sign must not be animated (ie. a sign that can move, has moving parts, changes its message, flashes, or has a moving or flashing border)
• The sign must not be floodlit or illuminated

A Planning permit may be required if you want a larger sign, more than one sign, or an animated or illuminated sign.

Read more information about the signage requirements and policy in the Greater Dandenong Planning Scheme:

• 52.05 Signs Greater Dandenong Planning Scheme - Ordinance
• 22.11 Advertising Signs Policy Greater Dandenong Planning Scheme - Ordinance
• Read Council’s Advertising Signs Guide

Building Permit requirements

A Building permit will be required for a sign:

• Within three (3) metres of the front boundary/street and higher than one (1) metre in height above ground level, or
• Three (3) metres or more from the front boundary/street and higher than eight (8) metres above ground level and/or a display area of more than six (6) square metres.

Footpath Trading Permit requirements

A Footpath Trading permit is required if you want to place an A-Frame sign outside of your property boundary. For more information visit the Trading in Greater Dandenong webpage.